Conventional traffic control systems utilizes various actuators, such as dynamic speed limits, traffic light timings, and warning or other information signs. The traffic control system staff decides what effect they want to create within a particular area and then use one or more of these actuators to changes the travel patterns within the area. For example, this may include changing traffic signal timing to increase capacity on one road while reducing it on another. Conventional methods of traffic control present several problems. For example, dynamic speed limits have significant costs associated with enforcement, and are generally disregarded by the traveling population without active enforcement. Traffic signal timing allows congestion to be moved around a city and effective method currently used, however, its applications are limited. Information signs, such as signs that instruct drivers to slow due to children being present, are known to have different impacts, with different proportions of drivers obeying each type of sign on a particular route. For example, traffic control offices routinely pick a message to have its known impact. As just one example, traffic control system may utilize a “Queue Ahead” sign, a “severe congestion n ahead” sign, and/or a “road closed” sign based on a known percentage of drivers seek an alternate route based on seeing such a sign (known effectiveness rate).
Additionally, the shockwave phenomena in traffic flows is a well understood issue. When one person brakes (e.g., slows down his or her car), the person behind has to brake a little harder due to a delay caused by reflex time. These delays add up and are compounded until either a phantom traffic jam is created or the shockwave dissipates due to a large gap in the traffic. These shockwaves can cause traffic delays that last for hours. Currently, the only way to combat these is to send out police or other municipal and/or prioritized vehicles in the middle and/or end of the traffic jam to interrupt traffic flow and create a rolling roadblock. Such solutions are very expensive and divert police and other resources away from more important tasks.